Rick Crawford
As this is only the second installment of The Sustainable Angler, I thought I would provide a bit of background. I am an angler, writer, and conservationist who founded a sustainability and marketing consultant agency so that I can protect what I love. In other words, I help businesses increase their growth while minimizing their environmental impact by turning their sustainability achievements into marketing stories. While this is all well and good, there are many people that don’t believe in climate change and everyone has a right to their beliefs. That said, I believe in science, but I want to be clear…I am not a scientist, and neither are the people I have been interviewing for The Sustainable Angler. We are anglers who believe in science, and the fact is 97% of climate scientists agree that burning fossil fuels is accelerating the warming of the planet to dangerous levels that are negatively impacting fisheries, which is reason enough for me to take action. My point is, there is nothing political about science. I simply want to protect what I love. So, the intent of The Sustainable Angler is to educate and create more awareness about what I believe to be a fixable problem and Todd Tanner helps to shed some light on the subject.
I first came across Todd Tanner, and his nonprofit Conservation Hawks, when I saw his film Cold Waters that brought together anglers: Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia, Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies, Steve Hemkens of Orvis, Tim Romano of Angling Trade and Todd to discuss the impacts of climate change on our fisheries. It is a truly inspiring film and since then Todd has put out two more films: Chrome and Convergence where industry leaders go fishing and talk about climate change (I would encourage you to watch all of them and should note that fellow “Sustainable Angler” Hilary Hutcheson appears in Convergence!).
Anyways, these films are all excellent and have really inspired me, so I reached out to Todd a couple of years ago and told him that I wanted to try to bring sustainability to the fly-fishing industry. He was not only gracious enough to have a long conversation, but was also willing to put me in contact with some other like-minded anglers. I am grateful that there are people like Todd Tanner in the world. I am glad that there are still genuine people willing to help a stranger, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, Todd!
Tell me a little bit about yourself….
I’m a fly fisher and a hunter, a former fly fishing guide, a longtime outdoor writer, a Montanan, and most 
How did you get into writing?
Back in the early 90s, a friend and I were sitting around trying to figure out how to pay the bills in between guide seasons. My buddy suggested that we start writing for fly fishing magazines. His plan was pretty simple. Start out writing for small regional magazines, then work our way up to the larger regional magazines, then the smaller national magazines, and then the larger national magazines. He figured that within 10 years, we could be writing for Fly Fisherman. I liked his plan, but I took a more streamlined approach. I just wrote up some stuff and sent it directly to Fly Fisherman. Turns out that John Randolph, who was the editor at the time, purchased the first three stories I sent his way. I just got lucky – and then, for whatever reason, my luck seemed to hold. Over the last 20+ years, my work has ended up with some pretty interesting media platforms, including Sporting Classics, Field & Stream, Sports Afield, Fly Rod & Reel, American Angler, Forbes and the NY Times. I’ve also been doing some work with Hatch Magazine, which is my favorite web-based fly fishing magazine.
Who inspires you and why?
My son Kian, who’s 12. I like to think I’d have eventually moved towards altruism even if I didn’t have a son, but I can’t be sure about that.
In any case, Kian’s generation deserve the same opportunities and the same gifts that we’ve all received, and I feel like it’s my responsibility to work on their behalf.
I’d be inclined to focus on stewardship regardless – I was already heading in that direction when Kian was born – but my boy is definitely
my major source of inspiration.
When did you first become aware of the impacts of climate change on our fisheries?
About 15 years ago, when it started becoming obvious that our winters were showing up later and leaving earlier, and that our summers were getting hotter. I remember fishing a spring creek in early March and being absolutely amazed that it 80+ degrees that day. It just got to the point where it was obvious to anyone who spent much time outdoors.
What effects of climate change are most concerning to you?
In the short term, the droughts, the dying forests, the wildfires and the smoke are the biggest issues I see here in Montana. We’re seeing summers where it’s so hot & smoky that nobody wants to go outdoors. It’s pretty tough t fish or hike or camp or whatever when you could cut the air with a knife, and when we have all sorts of river closures and fire restrictions.
Long term, I’m more concerned about positive climate feedback loops and things spiraling completely out of control. Researchers from the University of Hawaii have run the numbers and say that pretty much every location on the planet will have a brand new climate by 2047. Scientists at the Scripps Institute just released a study that puts the odds of cataclysmic – or worse, existential – climate change at 5% by 2050. That’s not terrible odds, but it’s way, way higher than I’m comfortable with. No parent I know would let his or her child get on an airplane if there was a 5% chance it was going to crash & burn … but that’s the state of our planet right now.
How do you respond to climate change deniers?
Climate deniers are difficult. There’s no one “best” way to deal with folks who are willing to dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus, along with all the empirical evidence we see on a daily basis.
In general, I try to ask them one simple question: “What if you’re wrong?”
If someone is willing to admit the possibility that they might be wrong, and that they need to consider the possible ramifications, we can have a reasonable discussion. If not, it can pretty tough to have a meaningful conversation.
What are you doing in your personal life to mitigate the risks associated with
climate change?
I’m not sure mitigation is achievable at an individual level, at least when it comes to the more serious risks. There are definitely things we can do – solar panels, energy conservation, a more sustainable lifestyle, gardening, hunting, physical fitness, etc. – that can help in the short term. Heck, I just put money down on an all electric vehicle. But at the end of the day, climate is a huge problem that requires systemic change and farreaching political solutions.
So while I’d encourage folks to do everything they can to model energy efficient, sustainable behavior, the most important piece is for Americans to educate themselves and then get engaged politically.
Call your senators and congressman, and tell them to act on climate. Then vote for people who will make cutting CO2 emissions, promoting clean energy, and protecting our future, a real priority.
What are some of your favorite brands doing to address climate change?
Orvis, Patagonia and Scientific Anglers really seem to understand the dilemma we find ourselves in, as well as the urgency, and I’ve also seen positive signs from Fishpond, Costa, Sage, RIO, Redington, Winston, Abel, Yeti, Simms and a few other manufacturers. Even smaller brands like Rep Your Water are starting to step up, and that’s great news.As far as the actions they’re taking – once again, things like energy efficiency and a sustainable operation are important, but the big thing is that the brands are starting to speak up and advocate for Congress to take action. For example, Steve Hemkens, who’s a V.P. at Orvis, recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress on climate. That’s huge.
What is something you wish more anglers knew about climate change?
I wish more anglers knew that the overwhelming scientific consensus is that climate change is real, humans arecausing it, we’re already seeing the impacts – think about 2017’s unprecedented flooding and catastrophic wildfires – and we’re putting our future at risk. End of the day, climate change is personal. It will have a negative impact on each of us, and not always in ways that we can predict. If we just knew how serious the situation is, and how much is at risk, I have no doubt that we’d make the necessary changes in a heartbeat. The problem, of course, is that very few people at this point recognize the size or the immediacy of the threat.
Why is acting on climate important to you?
I don’t believe that humans are an accident, or a random aberration.
I think we have a purpose, and that purpose is to act as stewards and caretakers of this incredible planet we call home. I honestly believe we have a moral obligation to leave things better than we found them for future generations – yet that’s not what we’re doing. Instead, we’re trashing the planet at warp speed.
That’s not okay – in fact, it’s terrible – so I’m trying my best to move things in a positive direction.
Take Action
I couldn’t agree more, Todd, and Well, a huge thank you to Todd Tanner for all that you do to educate and bring climate change to the forefront for hunters and anglers and a special thanks for continuing to inspire me!
If you are a hunter or angler and are wondering what you can do today to make an impact, Todd makes some great suggestions, such as: replacing existing lighting with LED bulbs, buying energy efficient products, installing solar panels, or even buying an electric car; but as Todd said, “the most important piece is for Americans to educate themselves and then get engaged politically. Call your senators and congressman, and tell them to act on climate. Then vote for people who will make cutting CO2 emissions, promoting clean energy, and protecting our future, a real priority.”
Conservation Hawks has an excellent “Take Action” page that includes several ways to contact your senators and congressman, which can be found HERE.
Also, don’t forget to check out Conservation Hawks films mentioned earlier, and if you have the means please consider supporting the work that Todd and the good people at Conservation Hawks are doing! Stay tuned for next month’s installment of The Sustainable Angler where we interview Jako Lucas from Capt Jack Productions!